


Divided

by SunflowerAro



Series: Familiar [9]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Anger, Angst, Attempts at comfort, Gen, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:47:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25220395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunflowerAro/pseuds/SunflowerAro
Summary: Knuckles comes clean about what has been ailing him for two years and Sonic goes shopping with Tails.
Series: Familiar [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653865
Comments: 8
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

Sonic shivered when Knuckles finally pulled away, taking his warmth with him and leaving space for the harsh breeze to hit him. He hugged his jacket closer as Knuckles sat back on his knees, wiping at his eyes. 

“Thanks for that,” Knuckles said, grimacing when his voice broke slightly. He raised a hand to his throat with a look of displeasure. 

Sonic only nodded. “Of course. That’s what friends are for, right?” He smiled back when Knuckles beamed at him. “Are you ready now?” Sonic asked, looking down into the sand and digging his fingers into the gritty pile beside him. 

Knuckles sighed heavily. “I don’t think I’ll ever be, to be honest. Let’s just go do it.” 

Sonic grinned, pouring out the sand from his palm and patting Knuckles on the back. “That’s the spirit!” 

He stood, offering Knuckles his hand. Sonic wrapped his arm around his friend’s shoulders as they continued onwards, the house growing closer with each step; the truth grew closer to being revealed with each step.

The warmth of their home hit him first, so thick it poured out from the wooden walls as they ascended the steps. The pungent scent of Knuckles’ stew wrapped around them like an embrace, leaving Sonic salivating in anticipation. He shook his head, drawing his attention back to the present. They had priorities; he needed to be there for Knuckles first.

Shooting Knuckles a comforting smile, Sonic stepped forward and opened the door, shoulders relaxing as the warmth greeted him, chasing away the shivers that plagued him. The tension remained in Knuckles’ shoulders; it seemed to increase tenfold as they stood there. Sonic pursed his lips, ushering Knuckles inside before he could try and back out. He shut the door behind them when the chill of the sea threatened to follow them inside, allowing the heat to drape over him like a blanket. 

Amy and Tails sat at the kitchen counter, a crossword puzzle in front of them and pencils between their teeth as they thought. They turned to face him and Knuckles with bright smiles when they entered, only for their faces to become pinched with worry.

“Tough memory?” Tails asked, standing up from his seat and stepping closer. 

Sonic hummed. “You could say that.” He turned to Knuckles, frowning when the echidna shifted his gaze to the floor, eyes clouded over as he fretted. 

Should he give Knuckles something to go off of? But, he didn’t want to pressure him even if Knuckles had assured him he was as ready as he would ever be. 

“I have something to tell you guys.”

Sonic jumped, torn from his thoughts when Knuckles spoke. Pride welled up in his chest, only dampened when he noticed how tightly the echidna had his fists clenched—what if his hands began to bleed?

Tails tilted his head and Amy made a curious noise. Knuckles gestured to the couches in the living room, keeping his eyes on the floor to avoid their gazes. Tails frowned, shooting Sonic a worried look. Sonic only smiled reassuringly at him—and Amy, when she gave him the same look. 

Sonic took Knuckles’ hand in his own as they took one couch, Amy and Tails taking the other to their left. The fire crackled and popped as Knuckles steeled himself, Sonic squeezing his hand when he began to bite his lip. Knuckles sighed, interlocking their fingers as he looked up, shining eyes meeting those of their friends.

“It’s time for you guys to know the truth.”

*

Neither Amy nor Tails had interrupted Knuckles as he spoke, much to Sonic’s relief. If either were to cut him off, Sonic doubted Knuckles would be able to finish. He would shrink in on himself and hide away—the truth would never be completely revealed, and Sonic refused to tell them for him.

This was something Knuckles needed to do by himself.

As the final words passed through his lips, Knuckles sat back, fists clenched in his lap and eyes refusing to meet anyone else’s. Sonic watched him mindfully, keeping himself open should Knuckles need to reach for his comfort but not forcing it upon him. Knuckles would come when he felt he needed it.

Across from them, Amy sat on the edge of her seat with her lips pursed and brows creased. She mouthed words to herself every so often, eyes clouded as she thought. Tails had a knee drawn to himself, his eyes troubled as he processed.

Amy gasped, eliciting a flinch from Knuckles as his and Sonic’s attention was drawn to her. 

“This was that time you disappeared for half a week and came back without Sonic…”

Sonic frowned in thought, because Knuckles hadn’t mentioned that.

Knuckles winced, looking down. “Yeah.”

Amy narrowed her eyes, fire flashing within them. “You said you two went camping and you lost him.” 

Knuckles flinched and nodded. “I needed some time…”

“You lied,” Amy said, her voice low as he eyes narrowed further. 

Knuckles said nothing, looking away from her sharp gaze, but Sonic could hear how shaky his breathing had become, could see how hard he was trying to hold himself together. 

Amy huffed, crossing her arms. 

“I can’t believe,” Tails’ soft voice piped up before she could continue. “Did you…do you not trust us?” 

Knuckles looked up with wide eyes, shaking his head quickly. “Of course, I did. And I still do! I just—” he broke off with a grimace, looking down.

Tails’ face fell. “You don’t trust us.” 

“I swear I do,” Knuckles reiterated, eyes wide with desperation. 

“But you didn’t tell us. You barely seemed upset and you never tried to talk to us, instead going on all those walks…” 

Tails’ eyes widened in realisation and he glared at Knuckles. “So, you hid this, and you hid away instead of coming to us when it became too much?”

Knuckles’ silence was all the answer he needed. 

“I can’t believe—why didn’t you just _talk_ to us?” 

Knuckles didn’t look up at either of them, his eyes glued to the floor in shame. 

“I need some air,” Amy announced, standing up with a shake of her head she cast one last look back at Knuckles, Sonic able to feel the heat behind it even when it wasn’t aimed at him, before she drifted over to the door. 

Tails joined her without hesitation, not looking back as she had done before he slipped outside, an echo resounding as the door shut as though they had slammed it. 

Sonic’s heart ached terribly, pulsing through his chest and leaving his eyes stinging. He could only imagine how Knuckles felt, as the source of their anger. 

“Knuckles?” he asked softly, reaching out to his friend’s hand, slow enough for Knuckles to pull away if he wanted. He smiled faintly when Knuckles took his hand, but he kept his gaze on his feet.

“I’m sorry,” he continued, rubbing his thumb across Knuckles’ palm, warmth spreading through his numb heart when Knuckles curled his fingers around Sonic’s own slightly.

“They hate me,” Knuckles breathed monotonously, his shoulders slumping in defeat. 

Sonic shook his head. “No, they don’t. They’re upset, but they just need time. I promise.” 

Knuckles nodded slightly, but his shoulders only sank further—he didn’t believe him. “I’m going to my room,” Knuckles said, pulling his hand out of Sonic’s. 

Sonic frowned at the loss of contact, ice slipping back into his chest as Knuckles stood, shooting him a broken smile. 

“Night,” he said, offering Sonic a half-hearted wave before he curled in on himself, slipping into his room silently. 

Silence filled through the house.

Sonic cursed himself, looking between Knuckles’ room and the front door. Sighing, he headed into his own room, forgoing dinner when the aching numbness filled his gut and tore his previous appetite in two. He shut the door behind him softly, as though if he made too much noise he would shatter the already tense atmosphere that had been built in his home. Sonic shook his head with a grimace, turning and placing his two new shards amongst the previous ones, wrapping them up reverently. He dropped into his hammock, drawing his blanket tightly over his chest in an attempt to comfort himself.

They would get past this; they had to. Between the few memories he had and the new ones he had gained he could see how close they all were. Amy and Tails needed time, then they would be able to move forward.

At least, that was what he told himself as he slipped away into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Peeling open his eyes as light began to drift into his room, Sonic groaned. Dawn rapidly approached, yet he _still_ couldn’t sleep. His mind rampaged throughout the night, fretting over Knuckles, worried he had made the wrong decision for him. His friends’ anger had been justified, but would they forgive Knuckles? Would they all be able to move forward, or would Knuckles’ worst fears become a reality?

If they did, if they hated Knuckles, it would be Sonic’s fault. 

Sonic let out a sigh, sitting up and running his hand through his fur, clearing any knots and untangling it from his quills after his night of tossing and turning. Sitting here and fretting over it would do him no good. Best to get started on his day and try to soothe his friends’ anger as soon as possible. Not to mention, they had to find his assailant. Sonic had no doubt the cloaked figure had taken his memories—because a hit to the head wouldn’t leave him with memory shards to find, that was just nonsensical—and he was determined to _convince_ them to restore his past. 

Slipping out of his room, Sonic entered the eerily quiet main room, not another soul in sight. Knuckles’ door remained shut, and he couldn’t see any sign of Amy moving about in her loft above. Sonic pursed his lips, shooting a glance outside as unease settled into his gut. A run would do him some good while he waited for everyone else to emerge. It may be the last string of consistency he still held.

*

The sun had risen high into the sky by the time Sonic resigned himself to returning home. It bore down on him in all its glory, basking the ocean alongside him in a golden, rippling glow. Its heat warmed his back as he ascended the steps, floorboards creaking beneath his feet as he dusted sand from his shoes. 

The sweet scent of pancakes hit his nose as Sonic slipped inside, inviting a smile to his lips. His face fell when he saw only Tails and Amy in the room, the latter twirling around the kitchen as she spread more batter upon the pan, turning to place a plate stacked high with steaming pancakes in front of Tails. Tails shot her a strained smile, one reciprocated fleetingly, before digging in half-heartedly. 

Amy turned, her eyes meeting his own.

“Sonic!” She offered him a bright smile free of much of the previous strain that had tainted it—he could still make out the weariness in her eyes, in the way it dulled down the usual spark that filled them. 

Tails paused in scarfing down half a pancake to wave at him, flicking flecks of syrup onto the counter from his fork and earning a huff from Amy. 

Unease tumbled into his gut at her nonchalance, but he offered her a smile regardless, dropping into the seat beside Tails. Should he bring _it_ up, or should he leave the issue for now, give them a bit more time?

“Your pancakes.” Amy placed a plate down in front of him, its soft ‘thunk’ drawing him from his thoughts.

“Thanks,” he said, shooting her a sheepish smile before digging in to avoid her gaze. The sweet syrup bursting on his tongue and trickling down his throat did little to soothe his frets, however. At least they didn’t appear to be angry anymore, he supposed.

Looking up from his breakfast, he caught Amy’s eyes flitting over to Knuckles’ door, an indescribable look swirling in their depths, before returning back to flipping another pancake. Not anger thankfully, but Sonic couldn’t make out _what_ she felt. 

Pursing his lips, he shook away the thoughts to focus on finishing his food. He couldn’t gauge her reaction yet, and he hadn’t taken a long enough look at Tails for his either, but he hoped the fox would be easier to read. It would benefit him immensely to lose even a little of the stress sitting upon his shoulders.

“We’re running low,” Amy said. 

Sonic blinked, pulling himself back to the present and mentally smacking himself for drifting away once more. Amy stood with her head in the fridge door, lips thin as she surveyed the contents—or lack thereof. A container filled with the leftover pancakes sat in the fridge, along with half a block of cheese and some lettuce, the rest of the space achingly bare.

Tails nodded, leaning slightly so he could see around her. “Looks like it.” He turned back to Sonic, eyes bright despite the fatigue that lined them. “Are you ready to see a new world?” 

Sonic gasped, butterflies of excitement bursting free within his stomach and banishing the wisps of concern from his chest. “Yes!” 

Tails laughed at his effervescence, standing and stretching. He moved to take his plate over to the sink when Amy waved him off. 

“You two go. I’ll head up to the orchard and get us more fresh produce in a second.” She eyed off a fourth plate, fluffy pancakes still steaming atop it, before shooting Knuckles’ door another glance. 

“I’ll…leave a note,” she murmured, picking up the plate and storing it away in the microwave. 

Tension filled the room, murky and thick and taking away any of the light-hearted bubbles that had been rising up in Sonic’s throat. He bit his lip at the sensation, before Tails took his wrist.

“Shall we go?” he asked, eyes shimmering with _something_. Something Sonic couldn’t decipher before he was rushed outside, Tails snatching up his satchel from the table by the door as they left. 

“It’s pretty busy on this world, just to warn you,” Tails said, waiting for Sonic’s nod of affirmation before he tossed a silver ring through the air. 

Sonic’s eyes widened at the sliver of the world he could see through the portal: people, animals of all kinds, bustled by, and stores of all colours gleamed in the fluorescent light. 

A euphony of sounds filled his ears as they stepped through the portal: the thumps and clacks of hundreds of shoes, the sizzling of foods upon pans, the all-too-familiar sound of video games booting up. 

Dozens of scents filled his nose, many savoury or sweet, but more that he couldn’t place, more that he had never smelled before. Lights danced before his eyes, each store its own rainbow of colours brighter than the previous, determined to outdo those beside them.

Sonic jumped when Tails took his hand, grounding him back to the present. 

“Come on,” Tails said, guiding them through the streams of people, weaving between smaller stalls set up selling jewellery or food. He stopped in front of a store glowing a brilliant yellow. Sonic squinted at the neon green writing on the sign announcing its name, but couldn’t make it out for the life of him. Between the curly font and the vibrant colours, he couldn’t read it. 

“This is our usual store,” Tails explained, pausing in front to gesture as he spoke. “It’s got everything we need, and it saves time only visiting one store. The one time we tried another shop, we spent the entire day there.” Tails shook his head with a smile. 

Sonic snorted at the mental image of the two of them fawning over a new type of dessert or meat for hours on end.

Tails’ eyes widened. “We should keep an eye out for any shards while we’re here. I don’t know if there will be any, but we came here a lot.” 

Sonic nodded, even if the thought of his memories being scattered across worlds left him uneasy. It couldn’t hurt to keep his eyes peeled for the glint of a memory, though.

“I’ll make sure I do.” 

They paused by the entrance to pick up a basket each before Tails led them down the first aisle. Sonic’s eyes widened comically at all the different foods lining the rows, the packaging a rainbow upon the shelves. Some he could read, but most left him furrowing his brows in confusion until he eyed off the pictures accompanying the foreign words.

Sonic followed behind Tails in awe, picking up items when Tails halted them with a hand over his chin, eyeing off specials and comparing prices. 

“Here.” Tails passed him an orange packet, little tartlets adorning the front with googly-eyes and exaggerated smiles. The item tugged at his memory, but he couldn’t recall _why_. 

Sonic huffed lightly at his inept brain, turning to Tails quizzically for the answers. 

Tails smiled. “It was your favourite. Back before…” Tails made a face, eyes darkening before he turned back to perusing the aisles.

Sonic hummed, seeds of worry unfurling in his stomach, but this was the perfect time to talk to Tails regardless of his fears. He could gauge Tails’ reaction without having to worry over Knuckles hearing it should it be unpleasant. 

“So,” he began, clasping his hands behind his back nonchalantly. 

Tails hummed, crouching down and plucking a box from the shelves.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, rocking back on his heels to disperse the nervous tension roiling in his gut. 

Tails sighed, standing up and dropping the box in his basket. “Can we not do this here?” 

Sonic pursed his lips, wings of anxiety beating in his chest alongside hands of determination. He refused to back down without answers. “Tails, I _need_ to know. You…you don’t hate him, right?” 

Tails froze, the handle slipping between his fingers, sending the basket clattering to the floor. He turned back to Sonic with wide eyes. “Of course not! I could never hate him.” 

Sonic let out a sigh of relief, tension falling from his shoulders. 

“I just,” Tails continued, returning his gaze to the floor. “I can’t believe he lied to us for so long. He was hurting for _two years_ and he felt like he couldn’t trust us with it.”

“He does trust you,” Sonic reassured him. “He just…it’s not really my place to say.”

Tails looked to him with pleading eyes. “If you know something, you have to tell me. _Please_.” 

Sonic grimaced. Tails eyes shone with desperate tears, trying to understand his friend’s choices. Maybe Sonic could help him _and_ Knuckles. Another glance at Tails and he had made up his mind.

“He blamed himself,” he said softly, shooting a glance around the empty aisle as though Knuckles himself would appear, eyes filled with betrayal. “He thought it was his fault that I was taken, and he was worried you two would agree.”

Tails’ breath hitched at the thought and he shook his head. “I’m sure he tried his best to protect you. We’d never blame him for something like this.”

Sonic smiled, patting Tails on the shoulder. “I know. You just need to get _him_ to believe that.”

Tails sighed, but nodded. “We’ll talk to him about it. I just need a bit more time.”

Sonic grinned, nerves dissipating. They would be okay. Sonic jumped when Tails threw his hands in the air, face pinched with worry. “I can’t believe Amy couldn’t _sense_ this. How could she have missed all his pain?”

Sonic blinked, tilting his head in confusion. Tails didn’t notice, turning his gaze to the floor in thought.

“Although, I suppose she did mention his emotions were the most difficult to read. But still…”  
There they went again with the _sensing_.

“What are you talking about?” he asked. He had given Tails the information he asked for, surely Tails could return the favour.

“Hm?” Tails turned back to him. “Amy’s an empath, remember…Oh.”

“She’s an empath?” Sonic asked, ignoring Tails’ slip up.

Tails nodded. “Remember how I mentioned that we all had some sort of power? That’s hers.”

Sonic nodded sagely. It made sense, all her odd comments, how she seemed to be able to read him a little too well. He still had one question, though.

“What’s your power?” 

Tails hummed, crouching to pick up the basket from where it had fallen. He turned back to Sonic with a smirk. “That’s a surprise.” 

Sonic gawked at him and Tails only winked, turning around to continue their shopping. He shook his head, rushing to catch up as Tails turned down another aisle. “Not even a hint?” He whined, because surely Tails could give him that. 

Tails pursed his lips in thought. “Nope.”

Sonic pouted petulantly, but Tails said no more, so he dropped it. He’d find out soon enough. Of that, he was certain. 

“Will you talk to Knuckles soon?” Sonic asked after a moment’s silence. 

Tails made a face, comparing two products silently as he thought. He dropped one in his basket before turning to Sonic. 

“Soon,” he promised. “Like I said, I just need a bit of time.” 

Sonic nodded. “Good. We wanted to find that mysterious person as soon as possible.”

Tails tilted his head, gesturing for Sonic to follow as he continued perusing the items. “What for?” 

Sonic mentally smacked himself. Naturally, Knuckles had neglected to tell them of their plan, of how the figure had certainly stripped Sonic of his memories. “We believe they have my memories.”

Tails’ eyes widened and he stopped mid-step. “Do you really think so?”

“Mm. They possessed magic, and they wanted to ‘take me away’ from Knuckles,” he said, pursing his lips at the thought. “We could only assume they took my memories since they didn’t kill me. If we find them, we can get my memories back _and_ prevent this from happening again.” 

Tails’ eyes shimmered with hope. “We’ll get your memories back, I promise. Now, come on. We promised Amy we would stock up. Once we get home we can plan.” 

Sonic grinned, nodding enthusiastically. The sooner they had a plan put together, the sooner they could restore his memories. 

He could only hope Amy and Tails would talk to Knuckles soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I decided to switch up Amy's power a bit, since I didn't include her hammer in this fic and I thought the idea of her being an empath would be an interesting one to explore.  
> Stay safe, and I'll see you all next time <3

**Author's Note:**

> Amy and Tails are very big on trust and Knuckles has broken that. He has his reasons, though.   
> Thanks for reading! The second half of this part should be out within the next couple of days. Let me know your thoughts, or if you see something amiss. Don't forget to stay safe <3


End file.
